Các giải pháp gợi ý cho việc dạy phụ âm xát gồm âm răng và âm ngạc lợi trường cao đẳng bách việt

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* ĐỖ THỊ TUYẾT SƯƠNG SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS TO THE CHALLENGES IN TEACHING DENTAL AND ALVEO-PALATAL FRICATIVE CONSONANTS AT BÁCH VIỆT COLLEGE Các giải pháp gợi ý cho việc dạy phụ âm xát gồm âm âm ngạc lợi Trường Cao Đẳng Bách Việt M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111 Hanoi, 2015 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* ĐỖ THỊ TUYẾT SƯƠNG SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS TO THE CHALLENGES IN TEACHING DENTAL AND ALVEO-PALATAL FRICATIVE CONSONANTS AT BÁCH VIỆT COLLEGE Các giải pháp gợi ý cho việc dạy phụ âm xát gồm âm âm ngạc lợi Trường Cao Đẳng Bách Việt M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111 SUPERVISOR: PHAN THẾ HƯNG, Ph.D Hanoi, 2015 DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby declare that this thesis is original and has not been submitted for assessment elsewhere I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work and does not involve plagiarism or collusion I give my content for the electronic version to be examined by relevant plagiarism software programs I have made a photocopy and electronic copy of my thesis, which I can produce if the original is lost for any reason Date:……………………… … Đỗ Thị Tuyết Sương i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor – Dr Phan Thế Hưng for his precious time and effort to provide thoughtful comments, expertise and encouragement that helped me to overcome all the obstacles I had faced during the research I am also very appreciative of the help of students from CDAV7 (Bách Việt College) Their great cooperation provided me useful data to complete my analyzing and findings Importantly, I would like to thank my mother for her everlasting support Her love has helped me to overcome many difficulties during my period of studies away from home Last but not least, I wish to thank my friends and my classmates for their enthusiasm and encouragement during my research ii ABSTRACT English has become one of the most popular foreign languages learnt in Vietnam today However, Vietnamese students have failed to learn it appropriately That prevents the learners from achieving comprehensible pronunciation This paper focuses on identifying common pronunciation mistakes made by Englishmajored juniors of Faculty of Foreign Language at Bách Việt College in producing dental and alveo-palatal fricative consonants With the center of attention on the four English sounds /θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ the study also attempts to give reasons for explaining why learners often make such mistakes The main result demonstrates that more than half of the juniors have problems with those consonants These problems include sound omission and sound confusion To help students improve their pronunciation of these sounds, a number of recommendations are discussed in the last chapter iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF FIGURES viii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims and Objectives of the study Research questions Scope of the study Methods Design of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1 Consonants 1.1.1 Definition of consonants 1.1.2 Classification of English consonants 1.1.3 Contrasting English and Vietnamese consonants 1.2 Dental and Alveo-palatal fricative consonants 10 1.2.1 Sound description 10 1.2.2 Common types of pronunciation mistakes made by Vietnamese learners 13 1.2.3 Suggested techniques for teaching dental and alveo-palatal fricative consonants sounds 14 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 17 2.1 Participants and setting of the study 17 2.1.1 Participants 17 iv 2.1.2 Setting of the study 17 2.2 Instruments 17 2.2.1 Questionnaires (see Appendix 1) 17 2.2.2 Interviews (see Appendix 3) 18 2.2.3 Observation (see Appendix 5) 19 2.3 Data collection procedures 19 2.3.1 Data collection from questionnaires 19 2.3.2 Data collection from interviews and observation 20 2.4 Data analysis procedures 20 2.4.1 Editing data 20 2.4.2 Coding data 21 2.4.3 Analyzing data 21 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 22 3.1 Findings 22 3.1.1 Results of the questionnaires 22 3.1.2 Results of interviews and observation 30 3.2 Discussion 32 3.2.1 How are English-majored juniors instructed to pronounce /θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/ and /ʒ/? 32 3.2.2 How are English-majored aware of the ways to produce /θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/ and /ʒ/? 32 3.2.3 The types of mistakes English-majored juniors often made when pronouncing /θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ 33 3.3 Pedagogical implications 34 3.3.1 Useful techniques for teaching dental and alveo-palatal fricative sounds 34 3.3.2 Useful books for teaching dental and alveo-palatal fricative sounds 35 PART C: CONCLUSION 37 Conclusions of the study 37 Limitations of the study 38 v Suggestions for further study 38 REFERENCES 40 APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE I vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS BVC Bách Việt College FFL Faculty of Foreign Language L1 First Language L2 Second Language vcls voiceless vd voiced vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1 24 English consonant phonemes Table 1.2 Classification of English consonants Table 1.3 Classification of Vietnamese consonants Table 1.4 Example of minimal pairs 15 Table 3.1 Common mistakes made by English-majored juniors when pronouncing 30 Table 3.2 Reasons for sound confusion among English-majored juniors 31 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 Production of the sound /θ/ Figure 1.2 The position of the tongue in the production of /θ/ and /ð/ 11 Figure 1.3 The obstruction of the airstream in the production of /θ/ and /ð/ and the state of the vocal cords 11 Figure 1.4 The position of the tongue in the production of /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ 12 Figure 1.5 The obstruction of the airstream in the production of /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ and the state of the vocal cords 13 Figure 1.6 Example of phonological description 15 Figure 3.1 The appreciation of the instruction on the production of /θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ 22 Figure 3.2 Understanding of place of articulation of/ θ/ and /ð/ 23 Figure 3.3 Understanding of place of articulation of /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ 24 Figure 3.4 Understanding of manner of articulation of /θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ 25 Figure 3.5 Understanding of voicing of dental sounds /θ/ and /ð/ 26 Figure 3.6 Understanding of voicing of alveo-palatal sounds /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ 26 Figure 3.7 with The proportion of English-majored juniors admitting to having problems 27 θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ 27 Figure 3.8 The proportion of FFL’s junior’s omitting /θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ 28 Figure 3.9 The proportion of FFL’s juniors confusing /θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ 29 viii Kumar, R (1996) Research Methodology: A Step by Step Guide for Beginners Melbourne: Longman Australia Moulton, W G (1970) A Linguistic Guide to Language Learning (2nd Ed.) United States: The Modern Language Association of America O’Connor, J D (1981) Better English Pronunciation (2nd Ed.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Oppenheim, A N (1992) Questionnaire Design and Attitude Measurement London: Pinter Publishers Ltd Osburne, A G (1996) Final Cluster Reduction in English L2 Speech: A Case Study of a Vietnamese Speaker Applied linguistics, 17(2), 164-181 Patton, M Q (1990) Qualitative Evaluation Methods Beverly Hills: Sage Publications Pennington, M C (1996) Phonology in English Language Teaching: An International Approach (Applied Linguistics & Language) (1st Ed.) Addison Wesley Longman Rogers, H (2000) The sounds of language England: The Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd Teaching English to Speakers of Vietnamese (1981) Refugee Education Guide – General Information Series # 23 Center for applied linguistics Language and Orientation resource center Thompson, L C (1965) A Vietnamese Grammar United States: University of Washington Press Underhill, A (1994) Sound Foundations: Living phonology Oxford: Heinemann 41 Pennington, M C (1996) Phonology in English Language Teaching: An International Approach (Applied Linguistics & Language) (1st Ed.) Addison Wesley Longman Wells, J C & Colson, G (1971) Practical Phonetics Bath: Pitman Press Wilson, N & McLean, S (1994) Questionnaire design: a Practical Introduction Newtown Abbey, Co Antrim: 42 University of Ulster Press APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE Topic of the thesis: “Suggested solutions to the challenges in teaching dental and alveo-palatal fricative consonants at Bách Việt College” The questions below are designed in the hope of understanding how your teachers instructed you to pronounce the four English sounds /θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ They also aim at identifying whether you are aware of the ways to pronounce these consonants and the types of problems you might have when pronouncing them Your answers will greatly contribute to the success of this thesis, and seriously assist the FFL’s teachers and learners in their language teaching and learning Your enthusiasm and honesty, therefore, are highly appreciated Many thanks and regards for your cooperation! PARTICIPANT’S PERSONAL INFORMATION: Name (optional): Current year of study: first second third fourth Class: QUESTIONS: Instruction: Circle the answer that you think is right or suits you the most in each of the following questions You can also write down your own answers for questions which not have any answer that suits you Some questions allow you to choose more than one answers Please carefully read the instruction for each question before you select the answers When did you study the subject phonetics and phonology? A In my first year B In my second year I C In my third year D I haven’t taken any class in phonetics and phonology yet How did your teachers instruct you to produce the /θ/ and /ð/ sounds? A They asked you to imitate the pronunciation of these sounds by listening to them or native speakers in the tapes B They showed you pictures of how your mouth looks like and the position of your tongue and lips in producing these sounds C They used the two methods above at the same time D They used other methods: _ How did your teachers instruct you to produce the /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ sounds? A They asked you to imitate the pronunciation of these sounds by listening to them or native speakers in the tapes B They showed you pictures of how your mouth looks like and the position of your tongue and lips in producing these sounds C They used the two methods above at the same time D They used other methods: How you think the /θ/ and /ð/ sounds are made? A The sounds are made with the tip of the tongue placing between or just behind the teeth B The sounds are made with the two lips touching each other C The sounds are made with the upper teeth touching the lower lip D The sounds are made with the upper teeth touching the lower teeth II E Other: How you think the /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ sounds are made? A The sounds are made with the tip of the tongue touching the tooth ridge B The sounds are made with the tip of the tongue touching the lower teeth C The sounds are made with the tongue approaching the hard palate, just behind the tooth ridge D The sounds are made with the back of the tongue touching the soft palate E Other: _ How you think the airstream is obstructed when the /θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/ or /ʒ/ sound is produced? A The airstream is not obstructed B The airstream is partly obstructed C The airstream is temporally obstructed D The airstream is completely obstructed How you think voiced and voiceless sounds are made? A Voiced sounds are made with the vocal cords vibrating and voiceless sounds are made with no vibration of the vocal cords B Voiced sounds are made with the larynx vibrating and voiceless sounds are made with no vibration of the larynx C Voiced sounds are made with the pharynx vibrating and voiceless sounds are made with no vibration of the pharynx D Other: _ III Choose one of the following statements that you think is right about the /ð/ and /θ/ sounds: A The /θ/ sound is voiced and the /ð/ sound is voiceless B The /ð/ sound is voiced and the /θ/ sound is voiceless C Both /ð/ and /θ/ sounds are voiced D Both /ð/ and /θ/ sounds are voiceless Choose one of the following statements that you think is right about the /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ sounds: A The /ʃ/ sound is voiced and the /ʒ/ sound is voiceless B The /ʒ/ sound is voiced and the /ʃ/ sound is voiceless C Both /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ sounds are voiced D Both /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ sounds are voiceless 10 Please indicate if you have any problems when pronouncing the /ð/ and /θ/ sounds: A I only have problems with the /θ/ sound B I only have problems with the /ð/ sound C I have problems with both sounds D I don’t have any problems with the two sounds 11 Please indicate if you have any problems when pronouncing the /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ sounds: IV A I only have problems with the /ʃ/ sound B I only have problems with the /ʒ/ sound C I have problems with both sounds D I don’t have any problems with the two sounds 12 Pronounce the words this, three, and should then choose the statements that suit your pronunciation: (you can choose more than statement) A I pronounce the underlined sounds correctly B I omit the th sound in this C I omit the th sound in three D I omit the sh sound in should 13 Pronounce the words bathing, truthful, washing and pleasure then choose the statements that suit your pronunciation: (you can choose more than statement) A I pronounce the underlined sounds correctly B I omit the th sound in bathing C I omit the th sound in truthful D I omit the sh sound in washing E I omit the s sound in pleasure 14 Pronounce the words bath, bathe, rush and garage then choose the statements that suit your pronunciation: (you can choose more than 1statement) V A I pronounce the underlined sounds correctly B I omit the th sound in bath C I omit the th sound in bathe D I omit the sh sound in rush E I omit the ge sound in garage 15 Pronounce the words through, there, wish, and beige then choose the statements that suit your pronunciation: (you can choose more than statement) A I pronounce the underlined sounds correctly B I’m confused the th sound in through with another sound C I’m confused the th sound in there with another sound D I’m confused the sh sound in wish with another sound E I’m confused the ge sound in beige with another sound 16 Please indicate the sounds that you are confused with: (you can choose more than statement) A I’m confused the /θ/ sound with the /t’/ sound as in thi thố in Vietnamese B I’m confused the /ð/ sound with /d/ and /z/ C I’m confused the /ʃ/ sound with /z/ and /s/ D I’m confused the /ʒ/ sound with /z/ and /dʒ/ E Other: The end! VI APPENDIX 2: QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS The number of questionnaires delivered: 100 The number of questionnaires collected: 98 The number of questionnaires discarded: Total number of valid questionnaires collected: 90 Question Answer No A B C D A B C D Total amount 32 58 34 49 Percentage 0% 36% 64% 0% 7% 38% 54% 1% A B C D 29 52 9% 32% 58% 1% A B C D E A B C D E A B C D A B C D 61 18 5 10 57 18 58 13 14 43 32 15 68% 7% 20% 5% 0% 5% 11% 64% 20% 0% 5% 65% 14% 16% 48% 35% 17% 0% VII Notes D Teacher himself pronounced to show us how the mouth looks and the position of tongue and lips D Teacher himself pronounced to show us how the mouth looks and the position of tongue and lips 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D E A B C D E A B C D E A B C D E 12 60 11 16 54 15 10 31 40 27 22 37 60 12 13 37 21 32 23 36 18 33 22 46 25 14 41 17 12 13 43 13% 67% 8% 12% 18% 60% 16% 5% 10% 11% 34% 45% 4% 30% 25% 41% 67% 6% 13% 14% 31% 17% 27% 6% 19% 31% 16% 29% 5% 19% 35% 19% 5% 10% 31% 19% 13% 15% 48% 5% VIII E /t/ sometimes is pronounced as /ch/ in Vietnamese; I’m confused /dʒ/ and /tʃ/ E I’m not confused APPENDIX 3: INTERVIEW The interview is designed in the hope of identifying the common pronunciation mistakes made by English-majored juniors when pronouncing the four sounds /θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ It is also aimed at validating the information collected from the questionnaires You will be asked to read out loud some pairs of words, phrases and short sentences containing some dental and alveo-palatal fricative consonants Your pronunciation will be kept confidential and be used for the analysis of this thesis only Your participation again will greatly contribute to the success of this thesis Your cooperation and enthusiasm, therefore, are highly appreciated Many thanks and regards for your assistance! I Please read out loud pairs of words below: Thought / those Clothing / birthday Cloth / clothe Shrimp / shark Measurement / crashing Splash / massage II Please read out loud the following phrases: A thirteen year-old boy In their house A northern island A sympathetic woman A small path IX Breathe fresh air A cute sheep An exact measurement Do the washing 10 A long dash 11 A back massage III Please read out loud the following sentences I think Mr Smith gave a truthful answer for my question This kind of clothing allows your skin to breathe I wish I were a shrimp swimming near the seashore I don’t like the pronunciation of beige and leisure X APPENDIX 4: INTERVIEW ASSESSMENT FORM Date: Student name: Words to be assessed Correct pronunciation Mispronunciation Sound Sound omission confusion Thought Those Clothing Birthday Cloth Clothe Shrimp Shark Measurement Crashing Splash Massage Thirteen Their Northern Sympathetic Path Breathe Sheep Washing Dash Think Smith Truthful Clothing Wish Seashore Beige Leisure XI Notes APPENDIX 5: OBSERVATION FORM This observation is carried out in the hope of explaining any pronunciation mistake that English-majored juniors make when pronouncing dental and alveo-palatal fricative sounds In order to achieve this goal, the researcher is going to observe the three main characteristics of English consonants, including place of articulation, manner of articulation and voicing For the researcher’s convenience, a number of symbols and abbreviations will be used during the observation for faster note-taking and greater time-saving List of symbols and abbreviations: V: Students who have correct pronunciation P: Students who have problems with place of articulation M: Students who have problems with manner of articulation Student V: Students who have problems with voicing 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Thought Those Clothing Birthday Cloth Clothe Shrimp Shark XII Measurement Crashing Splash Massage Thirteen Their Northern Sympathetic Path Breathe Sheep Washing Dash Think Smith Truthful Clothing Wish Seashore Beige Leisure XIII ... DENTAL AND ALVEO-PALATAL FRICATIVE CONSONANTS AT BÁCH VIỆT COLLEGE Các giải pháp gợi ý cho việc dạy phụ âm xát gồm âm âm ngạc lợi Trường Cao Đẳng Bách Việt M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH... questionnaires, including dichotomous, multiple choice, rank orderings, rating scales, and opened questions (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2000, p.248) Among these types, multiple choice and open-ended... common pronunciation mistakes made by Englishmajored juniors of Faculty of Foreign Language at Bách Việt College in producing dental and alveo-palatal fricative consonants With the center of attention